IGNITE Peoria! is Ready to Spark Creative Passion in Central Illinois on August 9th

Monday, June 2, 2014, 9:00 A.M.

IGNITE Peoria! is Ready to Spark Creative Passion in Central Illinois

IGNITE Peoria!is a celebration of creativity that will feature events that will inspire innovation, release artistic vision and spark the passionate imagination of our community.

June 1st 2014 (Peoria, IL) -- What started as a small spark of an idea has swept across Central Illinois to become IGNITE Peoria!. On August 9th the SMG managed Peoria Civic Center will be taken over by creative individuals from throughout the area, sharing their passion with attendees. From break dancing to ballet, painting to fashion, cars to guitars, IGNITE Peoria! has something to spark the creative passion in people of all ages.

“We were asked how the Peoria Civic Center and the Arts Community could work together more,” said SMG general manager of the Peoria Civic Center, Jim Wetherington. “We said bring us an event, and you can have the building. But go BIG or go home.”

Go big they did, with the guidance of the ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, and the support of the City of Peoria and the Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, IGNITE Peoria! will occupy the 110,000 sq ft exhibit hall space, the 26,000 sq ft ballroom, twenty-two small meeting rooms, the Theater lobby and other various lobbies around the Peoria Civic Center.

“With a mission of promoting the arts as a vital component of the Peoria area’s economic and cultural enrichment, ArtsPartners is enthused to be working with so many local artists and arts groups, all under the same roof, all on the same day and all with the same focus - to expose our region to the wealth and depth of our cultural arts scene in an effort to fire up others’ artistic passions and creativity. It’s entirely inspiring, to say the least!” said Suzette Boulais, Executive Director of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois.

The event will kick off at 8:45am on August 9th with an opening ceremony. The main hub of the event, located in Exhibit Halls B and C, which will feature Creation Stations, World and Cultural booths, live entertainment and art demonstrations. Creation Stations will feature a range of hands-on activities such as metal stamping, caricatures, photography portraits, artistic displays, a musical instrument petting zoo. This area will also feature art on display and artists demonstrating their art in action.

The annual Worldfest event, hosted by the Peoria Civic Center for the last 10 years, is joining forces with the IGNITE Peoria! to move their cultural booths, food booths and entertainment stage to be a part of the event on August 9th as The World IGNITES Peoria!

Exhibit Hall D will be home to an artistic, customized design element car show, featuring tutorials and demonstrations on how to customize your car and other automotive related art.

The Ballroom, located on the 4th floor of the Peoria Civic Center, will host Fashion Ignite Peoria. Fashion Ignite Peoria is a free live public fashion photo shoot extravaganza! Celebrating the wealth of local talent Peoria has to offer in photographers, make-up artists, fashion designers, hair stylists, fine craft artists, and local boutiques, the event offers an inside look at the exciting world of photography with an art/fashion edge. With a range of looks from every-day to editorial, you will see how a team of creative professionals brings their artistic vision to life.

Dopestylez Crew will be bringing their popular Rep The Midwest break dancing competition to IGNITE Peoria! The event will feature crews and b-boys from around the world battling for prizes.

The meeting rooms will be home to various lectures throughout the day, including; applying the Arts, invention and entrepreneurship to science, technology, engineering and math, and more exciting topics to help attendees find their inner creativity.

Other events include the showing of independently produced, local films, various styles of dance lessons and cultural dance showcases, weaving demonstrations, creation of artistic trading cards and Art from the Garden , and an exciting performance by storyteller, Brian “Fox” Ellis.

Live music will be going on throughout the facility including soloists, small jazz bands, large choirs, guitar lessons and a songwriting workshop. As a special treat for the children, Julie K will be performing at the event as well.

Kathy Chitwood, Chairperson for the event, has spent the last nine months recruiting local artisans and creative community members to be a part of IGNITE Peoria! "Watching the birth of this event has been so inspiring,” said Kathy Chitwood “I knew we had a great arts community in Central Illinois, I just didn't know the depth and breadth of it. We are in the midst of an arts explosion here, and this is just the beginning!"

IGNITE Peoria! is free and open to the public. Certain events and activities will charge an additional fee. For more information on pricing visit www.ignitepeoria.com. The Peoria Civic Center parking lots will also be open to attendees at no charge.

A complete schedule of events will be available at www.IgnitePeoria.com after July 1st. For the most up to date information, follow IGNITE Peoria! on Facebook and sign up for email notifications.

About ArtsPartners of Central Illinois

The mission of ArtsPartners of Central Illinois, Inc. is to increase the vitality of arts and culture in the area. ArtsPartners was founded in 1999 as a non-profit organization funded in part by a portion of the collected restaurant tax through a cooperative agreement between the City of Peoria and the Peoria Civic Center Authority. Operational funds are also received from the Illinois Arts Council, an agency of the State of Illinois. For a complete calendar of upcoming arts events, visit the ArtsPartners website at www.artspartners.net.

About The Peoria Area Convention and Visitors Bureau

The PACVB represents an eight county region including Bureau, Fulton, Marshall, Mason, Peoria, Stark, Tazewell and Woodford. The organization’s mission is to promote the Peoria Area as a destination for visitors and contribute to the economic growth of the communities they represent.

About The Peoria Civic Center

The Peoria Civic Center, an SMG managed facility, is an entertainment and convention venue that contributes significantly to the economic impact on the downtown Peoria area. For the most up-to-date event information, please check us out on the web at http://www.PeoriaCivicCenter.com.

About SMG

Founded in 1977, SMG provides management services to more than 230 public assembly facilities including convention and exhibition centers, arenas, stadiums, theatres, performing arts centers, equestrian facilities, science centers and a variety of other venues. With facilities across the globe, SMG manages more than 14.4 million square feet of exhibition space and over 1.75 million sports and entertainment seats. As the recognized global industry leader, SMG provides venue management, sales, marketing, event booking and programming, construction and design consulting, and pre-opening services for such landmark facilities as McCormick Place & Soldier Field in Chicago, Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, Houston’s Reliant Park and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. SMG also offers food and beverage operations through its concessions, catering and special events division, SAVOR, currently servicing more than 100 accounts worldwide. For more information visit www.smgworld.com.

The Peoria Civic Center features an 11,330 seat arena, a 2,184-seat theater, 45,000 sq ft of meeting space and 110,000 sq ft of exhibit space. The downtown location is 10 minutes from the Peoria International Airport and has 1,000 hotel rooms within walking distance of the center and over 4,000 hotel rooms nearby. SAVOR…Peoria provides a direct connection to fresh local ingredients and the resources of the world’s leading venue management company, SMG. The facility is only a few blocks away the Riverfront district, museums, live entertainment and unique dining opportunities. Call us at 309- 673-8900 for a tour and let's talk about hosting your next event at the Peoria Civic Center!

The Peoria Civic Center is excited to welcome you to our facility! All of the information you need to have an enjoyable experience with us is right here for you. See the complete list of Peoria Civic Center events here.

TICKETSfor Peoria Civic Center events can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or at the Toyota Box Office at the Peoria Civic Center.

PARKINGat the Peoria Civic Center is convenient with two parking lots located on site the Marquee lot and the Fulton lot. There are also multiple lots throughout downtown Peoria that are available for event parking.

STAYovernight in Peoria! Whether you are here for a one day event or a week-long conference, Peoria has exactly what you are looking for. Enjoyall Peoria has to offer, including two brand new museums, a vibrant arts community, unique dining experiences and multiple shopping centers.

If you have additional questions please contact us in advance and let our staff help make sure you have the best experience possible.